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Export BibTeX files from your Reference Manager
Export BibTeX files from your Reference Manager

"BibTeX" is a special file format used to store references. They're often used as a bridge between reference managers and tools like ours.

Digl Dixon avatar
Written by Digl Dixon
Updated over a week ago

Do you use a reference manager like Zotero, Mendeley, PaperPile, or EndNote to manager your articles? It's easy to export your articles from these reference managers and pull them into Litmaps to discover more literature.

Access your reference manager and export your articles as a BibTeX file. You can also then import back into your reference manager once you're done discovering:

  1. Export your references into a BibTeX from your reference manager

  2. Import them into Litmaps

  3. Find some new literature

  4. Export from Litmaps into a BibTeX file

  5. Finally, import the new BibTeX file back into your reference manager.

Here's how to export a BibTeX file from some of common reference managers:

Zotero

To export from Zotero:

  1. Right click on a collection and choose "Export Library"

  2. Select "BibTeX" from the Format dropdown

Export collection from Zotero by right clicking collection and choosing “Export” and selecting “BibTeX”

For Goole Chrome users: check out the Zotero Connector Extension. It lets you instantly download papers from Litmaps into your Zotero folder in one click.

Mendeley

  1. Select the articles you'd like to export

  2. Click "Export"

  3. Choose the "BibTeX" option

Export collection from Mendeley by selecting articles, choosing “Export” and selecting “BibTeX”

EndNote

For EndNote, we'll first need to enable the BibTeX format:

  1. Click "Tools" > "Output Styles" > "Open Style Manager"

  2. Make sure "BibTeX Export" is checked

Now we can export BibTeX files:

  1. Selecting the articles you'd like to export

  2. Clicking the export icon

  3. Choose "BibTeX Export" from the Output Style dropdown

Use another reference manager?

You should be able to export BibTeX from most reference managers in a couple of steps. If your reference manager wasn't listed above, try searching their documentation, or conducting a quick google search.

Get in touch with us if you need help.

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